watching carbs vs sugar

Esther50
Esther50 Posts: 252
in Food and Nutrition
Which do you do? I was watching carbs, but changed my setting just to see and my sugar looked pretty out of wack.
Should I be worried?

Replies

  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Don't be worried.

    Thank your pancreas.
  • Esther50
    Esther50 Posts: 252
    I couldn't help but laugh at your post.
    I have no idea what you mean even. :laugh: :smile:
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    The sugar number doesn't really mean anything. It's more important to look at the food you eat as a whole.

    I'm a diabetic, so I count my carbs (because I need to know how much insulin to take when I eat).
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    Don't be worried.

    Thank your pancreas.
    I couldn't help but laugh at your post.
    I have no idea what you mean even.

    He means, you don't have to worry about the sugar you ingest, because your pancreas produces insulin that effectively transports the sugar into your cells to be used as energy.
  • Esther50
    Esther50 Posts: 252
    ok, makes sense. I do think I need to get more fruits and veggies in my day.
    thanks
  • JMathes173
    JMathes173 Posts: 1
    I was watching my sugar intake too and it seemed crazy high!! But it's mostly from fruit, so I wouldn't think I would need to worry about. Anybody know for sure?
  • Esther50
    Esther50 Posts: 252
    oh yea, sugar from natural food I know you don't have to worry about.
  • Esther50
    Esther50 Posts: 252
    ahhhhh, I get it now.
    thanks
  • NicVino
    NicVino Posts: 19
    I think watching both is beneficial. For me personally, if I over indulge in either, it shows on the scale and I tend to feel a bit puffier and have to stay on track for a couple days to feel normal again. Like others said, I don't pay much attention to the sugar in fruit--unless you're eating like 8 servings of fruit (something that is going to spike your sugar intake for the day). Therefore, take both in moderation.
    Good Luck! =)
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
    Which do you do? I was watching carbs, but changed my setting just to see and my sugar looked pretty out of wack.
    Should I be worried?

    If you are trying to lose weight you should worry about the KINDS of carbs you put in your body. There are 4 types of carbs that I know of. 1) Dietary Fiber - things your body can't digest and makes things "move" in your body, soluble adds bulk where as insoluble adds roughage; 2) Sugars - The nutrition labels clump all sugars together because essentially they serve the purpose to give your muscles and organs energy (but some are less healthy than others); 3) Starches - Starches are sugar molecules that have 3 or more chains on it and take longer to digest and be used as energy in the muscles, the theory about starches are they keep you "fuller longer" but the truth is, they keep your body juiced with sugar so you never burn fat 4) Sugar Alcohols - are basically hydrogenated starches and count as "light" starches that contribute to your blood sugar and produce insulin at a steady rate causing fat to be delayed in production.

    Vegetables have fiber, sugar, and vitamins, minerals, are low in calorie.
    Fruits have fiber, sugar, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants.
    Grains (devil's food) are high in starch, fiber, and come with some minerals but have anti-nutrients (prevent nutrition from being absorbed.
    Dairy foods have fats, sugar, and provides protein.
    Processed foods (bread, pancakes, cereal, baked beans, spagetti sauces, etc) are made with a combination of the above. Because they have anti-nutrients in them, most processed foods have NO nutritional value and are "empty calories".

    To check starch amounts, add up all the sugars, dietary fiber, and sugar alcohols (if listed) in grams and minus that number from the Total Carbohydrates. Starch is the #1 reason why people who "watch carbs" are not losing weight. While they may avoid sugar successfully, they are stocking up on the starchy sugar and they are killing their weight loss chances.

    Fructose and Glucose are good forms of sugar since they are the closest forms of sugar our body can burn. Sucrose (table sugar) is a form of sugar that has to be turned into Fructose and then into Glucose so it can be burned. This means table sugar stays in your body longer than fruit and veggie sugars. Starch is a complex carb that turns into Sucrose, then into Fructose, then into Glucose; so you technically "stay full longer", but you also don't have your insulin levels go down so you can lose fat too.

    If you are exercising, a high protein diet with starchy carbs are the best bet. If you are living a mostly inactive life then a modest protein diet with mostly fruit and veggie carbs is ideal as long as it is a nutritious diet.

    So to answer your question: Watch both and use them to your advantage.

    EDIT: High Fructose Corn Syrup is essentially a liquid starch so treat it the same. Stevia, Splenda, Nutrisweet, and other artificial sweeteners aren't "technically" sugars so they don't have to be labelled as such, but they are still carbs and should be treated the same as sugar alcohols.

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